Hammer.



PATENTED AUG. 18, 1903.

G. J. STEELE.

HAMMER. APQPLIOATION FILED FEB. 17. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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Patented August 18, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE JOSEPH STEELE, OF GANBY, CALIFORNIA.

HAMMER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 736,797, dated August18, 1903.

Application filed February 17, 1903. Serial No. 143,813. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE JOSEPH STEELE, residing at Canby, in thecounty of Modoc and State of California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Hammers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements on the ordinary claw-hammer, and isespecially designed to provide the said style of hammer with a simple,inexpensive, and easily made and applied device for producing anincreased leverage power for drawing nails, so that nails of more thanordinary lengths may be easily and effectively drawn Without danger ofbreaking the hammer-claws or bending the nails.

Myinvention in its generic nature comprehends a fulcrum member adjustably connected to the hammer-head and cooperatively joined with thesaid head in such manner that under ordinary conditions the hammerheadhas the usual shape and appearance and is free from any projectingmembers or pertions that may interfere with the free and usualmanipulation and operation of the hammer and which is adapted to bequickly andconveniently adjusted to form a fulcrumpiece for materiallyincreasing the leverage power of the claws under the hammer.

In its more complete nature myinvention includes, in combination withthe hammerhead, a fulcrum device embodying bearing members slidable onthe hammer-head in the longitudinal plane of the handle, a bearing-piecepivotally hung in the said members adapted to be extended in thelongitudinal plane thereof, whereby to provide an extension projected atright angles therein and outwardly from the head, and means for holdingthe said pivoted member locked to its extended position.

In its still more subordinate features my invention consists in certaindetails of construction and peculiar combination of parts, all of whichwill hereinafter be fully explained, and specifically pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a view of my improved hammer, the fulcrum devicesbeing shown in their normal position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionof the head, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a viewillustrating the manner in nails.

which the hammer is adjusted and used for drawinga long nail. Fig. 4 isa similar view showing the fulcrum devices closed in and the hammer usedfor drawing ordinary short Fig. 5 is a detail view of the hammerhead.Fig. 6 is a similar view of the adjustable fulcrum devices. Fig. 7is adetail view hereinafter specifically referred to.

The ha mmer-head A has the usual hammerheel a at one end and the doubleclaws a a at the other end of the nail-socket b, all of whichmay be ofthe usual form, as they per se form no part of my invention. The sides aa of the hammer-head are, however, each formed with a dovetailed orundercut groove 1 1, which extends through the outer or top edge a: ofthe head, and the said grooves merge with a countersunk portion orrecess 2 in the said outer end of the hammer-head, the purpose of whichwill presently appear.

3 3 designate a pair of narrow spring-steel members having beveled edges3 3*, adapted to engage and slide within the dovetailed grooves 1 1, andthe said members 3 also have externally-serrated portions 3 3 whichproject in a plane beyond the side faces of the hammer-head, whereby tofacilitate the outer movement of the members 3, as will presently morefully appear. The outer face X of the head is also provided with a pairof oppositely-disposed notches 4 4 in line with the grooves 1 1, whichform the locking means for holding the fulcrum-block 6 to its operativeposition, as clearly shown in Fig. .3, by reference to which it will benoticed the said block 6 consists of a steel plate of substantially thewidth of the hammer edge and is pivotally hung upon a cross-pin 7,fixedly held in the outer ends of the bearing members 3 3.

So far as described it will be readily apparent that when the members 33 are extended beyond the faces X of the hammer-head sufficiently topermit the block 6 being turned in alinement with the members 3 3 andwith its inner edge in register with the notches 4 4, by tapping on theouter end of the block 6 the members 3, with the block, will be movedinward, and the lower end of the block 6 will seat in the notches l4:,and by reason of such adj ustment of the parts mentioned the saidblock 6 will then be held from turning on its pivot and form, as itwere, an end extension proj ected at right angles from the hammer-head,whereby to produce a fulcrum-bearing of sufficient length to permit ofdrawing nails of more than ordinary lengths with ease and in the mannerclearly shown in Fig. 3. To restore the parts to a normal position, itis only necessary to push the members 3 3 sufficiently outward towithdraw the inner end of the fulcrum-block 6 from the lock-notches 4 4to permit the said block turning in a plane parallel with thehammer-head, after which the members 3 3 and the block can be shovedback to the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 4 to adjust the hammer forordinary uses and for drawing small sizes of nails, in the usual manner.

In the practical application of the members 3 3 to the head they areheld in a spring-tight engagement therewith,so as to be firmly lockedagainst the head when the parts 3 and 6 are in their closed or normalposition,and the said members 3 3 are also made of a length somewhatgreater than the length of the grooves l 1,which extend inward of thehead to a point just below where the bevel of the head sides begin, andby reason thereof and the fact that the body portion of the members 3 3have dovetailed edges to engage with the under cut or dovetailed edgesof the grooves l l the inner ends of the members 3 will press inward andclose against the beveled faces W of the head, as clearly shown in Fig.2.

By pivotally securing the block 6 to the members 3 3, as shown, the saidblock can be utilized as a means. for turning the members 3 3 outwardunder leverage force,whereby to conveniently overcome the tightfrictional engagement of the said spring members 3 3, such operation ofthe block 6 being diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. '7, from which itwill be seen that after the block 6 has been moved out a distance of,say, one-fourth of an inch from the head by exerting thumbpressure underone end of the block the other end (indicated by Z) will act as afulcrum for the block,which then serves as a lever to pull out themembers 3 3 sufficiently to permit the block 6 to assume a position atright angles to the head, for the purposes heretofore explained.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a hammer of the character described; the combination with the headhaving parallelly-disposed side grooves; of a fulcrum device comprisinga pair of spring members adapted to straddle the head and engage withthe side grooves, a block pivotally mounted in the outer ends of saidspring members and adapted to be turned into alinement with the saidmembers, as set forth.

2. The combination with the claw-equipped hammer-head having a socket inits outer face, of a fulcrum device mounted on the hammer-head andlongitudinally adjustable with respect to the said head, said deviceincluding a pivotally-supported fiat bearingblock adapted when turned toa plane parallel with the head to fit in the socket in the said head andadapted to be projected at right angles from the head, as specified.

3. In combination with the claw-equipped hammer-head having a socket inits outer face, a fulcrum device mounted on the hammer-head andlongitudinally adjustable with respect to the said head, saiddeviceincluding a pivotally-supported bearing-block adapted when turnedto a plane parallel with the head to fit in the socket of said head andadapted to be projected at right angles from the head, and means forlocking the said block from pivotal motion when projected endwise, asstated.

at. In combination with a hammer-head having side grooves andtransversely notched on its outer face, the notches and the groovesbeing in register; of a fulcrum device comprising a pair ofoppositely-disposed spring members slidable in the side grooves of thehammer-head, a flat block pivotally mounted in the outer ends of saidspring members and adapted to act as a lever for drawing out the springmembers and to be projected at right angles from the hammer-head withits inner end in engagement with the notch of the outer face of thehammer-head, as set forth.

5. As an improvement in claw-hammers; the combination with the head; ofa fulcrum device consisting of a pair of spring members adapted tostraddle and clamp over the sides of the head and a block pivotallymounted in the outer ends of the said members, the latter beinglongitudinally adjustable with respect to the hammer-head whereby theblock can be turned in alinement therewith to project at right anglesfrom the hammer-head, and means for locking the said block from pivotalmovement when it is projected at right angles from the head,substantially as shown and described.

GEORGE JOSEPH STEELE.

Witnesses:

D. B. KANE, E. B. POPE.

